Microsoft pulled the curtains back on a landmark update for Azure that takes direct aim at the workloads organizations keep behind the firewall. Coming just over a month after “human error” took down the infrastructure-as-a-service platform, the new release features reliability features that make it possible for users to access on-premise workloads without fear of falling victim to a similar incident.

Microsoft is also rolling out a new flash storage option for strategic applications that require both consistent latency and high performance to run. One of the prime uses for the premium-tiered service is SQL Server, the Azure-managed version of which also received an upgrade in the form of interactive analytics features and scalability improvements in the latest iteration of the standard edition.

A few days after Microsoft unveiled the update, another enterprise cloud player called Skytap Inc. bagged a healthy $35 million in funding to accelerate adoption of its DevOps platform. The service provides a hosted environment for developing applications that enables users to create accurate copies their production infrastructure, which allows for more comprehensive testing and makes it easier for operations professionals to roll out software once it’s time to go live.

With organizations now moving practically everything from development projects to their most mission-critical databases to the cloud, ensuring the safety of data stores outside the firewall is becoming a bigger priority for CIOs. OneLogin Inc. closed its own $25 million financing round in the same time frame as Skytap to more effectively tap the growing demand for such next-generation security solutions.

The startup offers an integrated identity management service that takes a simplified approach toward handling cloud authorizations to allow employees to use the same user directory profile across more than 4,000 hosted applications. Users avoid the hassle of juggling multiple accounts while IT gets control over who accesses what and when.

Skytap plans to spend the fresh funding to scale its product development, sales and marketing operations amid increasing competition from fellow startups and traditional identify management providers. The investment brings the firm’s total raised to over $64 million.